Three-dimensional (3D) printing, or additive manufacturing, is a process of making three dimensional solid objects, for example, based on blueprints provided by digital files and/or by scanning a solid object to be copied by the 3D printer. The synthesis of the desired 3D solid object is achieved by strategically generating successive layers of an additive material in a pattern on a platform of a 3D printer until the entire object is created. The synthesis of the 3D object can be driven, for example, by the digital files that provide the specifications that describe how to create the pattern of layers and the materials used to generate the object.
3D printers are generally protected from external influences by a build cage, and, within the build cage, the 3D printer includes the build platform on which the synthesis process is executed. Before building (printing) a 3D object on the build platform, the build platform should be set to a level state. For this purpose, the build platform can include a platform frame on legs, e.g., two front legs and one center rear leg, and a platform plate on the platform frame, with springs, for example at positions corresponding to each of the front two legs, biasing the platform plate upwards away from the platform frame but being independently compressible for moving the platform plate downward closer to the platform frame at the two front legs until the build platform is determined to be at a level state, at which point the position of the platform plate relative to the platform frame can be locked.
The generation of the successive layers of the additive material can be performed, for example, according to any one of: (1) Vat Photopolymerisation, (2) Material Jetting, (3) Binder Jetting, (4) Direction Energy Deposition, (5) Powder Bed Fusion, (6) Sheet Lamination, or (7) Material Extrusion. Specific processes of Material Extrusion used to generate the successive layers can involve making sequential deposits using fused deposition modeling (“FDM”), fused filament fabrication (“FFF”), or Direct Ink Writing (“DIW”).
The materials used as the “ink” of the 3D printer to generate the 3D object can include, for example, filaments of any of: powder material, polymer material, thermoplastics, eutectic metals, edible materials, rubbers, modeling clay, plasticine, metal clay, ceramic materials, metal alloys, papers, composite materials composed of ceramics and metallic materials (“cermet”), metal matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites, photopolymers, plaster, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic film, and metal foil. The filament is heated at the printer head, extruded through a nozzle, and deposited onto a build surface of the build platform, for example, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/195,456, filed Jun. 28, 2016 and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/371,018, filed Dec. 6, 2016, the content of each which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Some 3D printers include a heater in the build platform for heating the build surface of the build platform because, without such a heater, many of the materials used for the filament would not properly stick to the build surface and would warp due to the extruded material cooling too quickly and also because the synthesized 3D object deposited onto the build surface may be difficult to remove when it cools on the platform surface.
Some 3D printers provide a removable build plate that can be placed onto the build platform and is removable from the build platform and that includes the build surface onto which the filament is deposited during printing. An advantage of the removable build plate is that a user can remove the synthesized 3D object that has been deposited on the build surface without worrying about damaging parts, such as rails and electronics, of the 3D printer as a user might be when removing the synthesized 3D object by reaching into the build cage and removing the synthesized 3D object from the build surface while the object is still in the build cage, which would restrict the degree of freedom in moving the user's hands while removing the object, leading to discomfort to the user and potentially damaging the synthesized object due to an awkward motion used for removing the object. For example, one such printer includes a ramp shaped track into which the build plate can be inserted, with the track guiding the plate into its proper position for printing.